3 Peaks Over 4000 Meters in 4 Days, July 2023

When my mountain guide picks me up, I'm already a bit excited. I'm supposed to accompany him for four days in Valais, where the mountains are reportedly quite high, higher than in the Bernese Alps! Will I be able to meet his expectations? There's still surprisingly a lot of snow, and that would be my domain!

I'm attached upside down to his backpack. Not the most comfortable way to travel. On the other hand, it's quite amusing to see the mountains hanging from the sky.

“White Tooth” is our destination. Better known by its French name “Dent Blanche”. Speaking of names: My mountain guide decided to call me “Alois”. He thinks “Anniversary Ice Axe” sounds a bit stiff. I like that. After all, people have names too.

After nearly five hours, we reach the hut. The scenery is very beautiful. I'm already looking forward to seeing the high Valais mountains up close.

In the hut, I witness an interesting conversation. Breakfast is supposed to be at 4:30. Too late for such a tour, say my mountain guide and two of his colleagues. After an apparently interesting discussion in a language I don't understand, breakfast is moved to 3:30!

The three guide teams start almost simultaneously and quickly ascend in the light of headlamps. Soon, my distant relatives, the crampons, come into play and oops, now it's serious for me too. Whenever the snow slope gets a bit steeper, I carve steps into the snow. I love it! My mountain guide calls it 'cutting'.

When he climbs on the rock, I'm tucked between his back and the backpack. A rather comfortable position for me, as I don't have to see the surroundings upside down for once.

In less than four hours, we're already on the summit, enjoying the view and taking photos!

The descent is swift, and soon we're back at the large gendarme, where my mountain guide rappels his guest. Then it happens: My mountain guide bends over a bit too much, I lose my grip, slip out from behind his backpack, and fall into the depths. Desperately, I try to hold on in the snow. Wham! After more than thirty meters, I manage to dig my pick into the steep couloir at the last moment. Carefully, to avoid being finished off by falling ice chunks, my guide lowers his guest down to me. With a steady hand, he rescues me from my precarious situation and returns me to my mountain guide.

After this incident, I'm completely exhausted and glad to soon be back at the hut, and once again, albeit upside down, safely carried down to the valley.

After a night in the tent – something new for me too – my mountain guide meets his next guest. The woman is not yet twenty and wants to climb her first four-thousander. Will it go well?

I find the ascent to the Mischabel Hut exciting, but I can't be of any use. Everything is over rocks and stones, no snow or ice.

I get to experience a special surprise at the Mischabel Hut: the mountain guide's aperitif. Too bad I can't handle human food!

The next morning, I'm soon in my element. The route mostly leads over snow and ice. Now and then, I can carve a few steps into the snow or at least improve existing ones. My comrades in the other teams seem a bit lazy. They're often trapped on the backpacks or serve only as support during the ascent.

Soon, we're standing on the summit of Nadelhorn at 4327 meters above sea level. Our guest lives exactly 4000 meters below!

The descent goes smoothly. While I rest in the hut, my mountain guide accompanies his guest down the upper, difficult part of the hut path.

The guest for tomorrow's tour already shows up. Busy times!

Before dinner, there's another aperitif. This time with many mountain guides, all of whom look at me approvingly! Some even claim to have siblings of mine at home! Why don't they bring them along!

The tour over the east ridge to Lenzspitze is beautiful, and I can occasionally be of service to my mountain guide.

From Lenzspitze over to Nadelhorn, he stows me behind his back again. Better that way, as there's only solid rock. I can't do anything there.

I know the descent from Nadelhorn from yesterday! Only the pace is slightly different. In ninety minutes, we descend the thousand meters from the summit to the hut. Those old men are crazy! Together, they're over 130 years old!